Ooga Booga
by sammy55
Summary: When a magical mishap leaves Emma with the mind of a caveman, Regina is left to figure out a way to return Emma to her original form before the blonde woman destroys her house - and may just realize something in the process. Eventual SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**This was written for NegativeBlue, who suggested the idea over on Tumblr. This is 1 of 3 parts (unless you guys have situations you want me to write in addition to the ones I have planned) and the other two parts **_**should **_**be up relatively quickly. My muse is currently being fickle, so I decided to post this now instead of all at once. Enjoy. **

**I do not own OUAT.**

It had been funny at first.

The simplest spell any magic user could learn, and Emma somehow managed to mess it up, despite having successfully done it several times before. Apparently when not under pressure, her mind began to drift.

Regina had been showing Emma how to create flames of various sizes. Instructing Emma to light a fire in the heart, she had been surprised when Emma was suddenly surrounded by white smoke. When the smoke cleared, the brunette blinked in confusion.

Nothing had changed. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Emma, trying to figure out what had happened. Emma was staring at the floor in deep concentration.

"Emma?" At the sound of her name, the blonde looked up at Regina, simply gazing at her for a few moments before reaching out a hand and grabbing the other woman's wrist, jerking her towards her.

Regina's increasingly agitated questions were been silenced by Emma running her hands over Regina's body in a far to intimate manner. Of course, it had only occurred to Regina later that she had been checking for signs of damage or injury. But at the time, the best course of action had been a fireball.

At the sight and warmth of the fire, Emma jerked back and let out a wordless cry of alarm, waving her hands and trying to drag Regina away from it, her cries of confusion only getting louder when the fire seemed to follow her. Only when the brunette extinguished the flame did Emma finally calm down, her wide eyes now focused on Regina's unblemished hand.

It took a few more moments of trial and error and attempts of communication - several of which ended in Regina producing a fireball out of irritation - before she finally concluded that Emma had managed to give herself a mind to a caveman - apparently connecting the delicate art of magically conjuring fire with the simple ancestors of the human race. Regina just stared at the other woman when she realized, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she watched Emma wander around the room and poke at various objects, occasionally letting out grunts of some unknown emotion.

A snort managed to slip out of her mouth, setting her off. Before long, Regina was doubled over in laughter, tears running down her face. If she had known that it would be this easy to silence the always frustrating and sarcastic Sheriff, she would have suggested magic lessons long ago.

Eventually she managed to control herself long enough to call Snow and Charming over to collect their daughter. Emma followed Regina from room to room, gesticulating wildly and trying to communicate through a series of grunts and whines. Regina had tolerated this, as the blonde seemed to be harmless enough in this form - although her newly developed habit of hovering right behind the brunette left a lot to be desired.

-SQ-

To say the meeting between Emma and her parents had gone badly would be an understatement. It had been going fine until Snow snapped at Regina for teasing Emma with little fireballs floating around the room. Very quickly, Emma forgot about dodging the tennis ball sized fireballs and stormed over to stand in front of Regina, puffing out her chest and growling at Snow.

"Why is she doing that?" Snow reached a hand out towards her daughter, quickly withdrawing it to her side in shock when Emma grabbed the nearest blunt object - a lamp - and brandished it threateningly.

Regina rolled her eyes and removed the lamp with a wave of her hand, leaving Emma staring down with wide eyes at her hands, flipping them this way and that in an effort to find her weapon. Regina turned towards Snow and smirked. "Apparently she feels you are a threat to me."

"But why is she protecting _you_?"

Regina sighed and rubbed the back her neck - she didn't like complications and if she was correct, this would be a rather large one. "She magically transformed her mind - think of it like a reset. I was the first person she saw, so her mind most likely latched onto me as someone important. Think of a baby duckling imprinting on its mother." It wasn't the most common occurrence, but the only one that could account of the blonde's radical change of actions.

Snow frowned and turned her eyes back to her daughter, who had now resumed walking around the room and poke objects - although as Snow and David were still in the room, she was never more than a few feet away from Regina. "So she think you're her mother?"

Regina's mind flashed to earlier when Emma had searched her for injuries and managed to fight off a smirk. Those weren't the actions of a familial relationship. But as much as she would love to torture Snow with the mental images, if she wanted to revert Emma back into a normal human being, she would probably need their assistance at some point or another. "Exactly. She's simply protective of me because her mind only knows me. She has no memory of either of you."

"And what about Henry?"

A wince flickered over Regina's face momentarily before she managed to quell it. "I'm not sure to be honest with you. At the very least, she _should_ be intelligent enough to take notice of my feelings towards him and be tolerant to his presence." At Snow's raised eyebrow, the brunette sighed, suddenly drooping in exhaustion. "Look, if something happens I will call you and Henry can sleep over for a couple of days, alright? As much as I don't want her here, it's probably best that she remains where she is calmest."

It took a few more minutes, but Snow and David - who seemed fascinated by his daughters action rather than concerned - finally left, leaving Regina alone to figure out how to deal with the situation.

She sighed heavily and watched Emma poke at some plastic flowers. She had no idea how this would go and worried that Henry would blame her once again.

A few hours later, after a difficult time while teaching Emma to use an indoor bathroom - only resulting in a minor burn for the blonde - Regina heard footsteps on the front path and hurried to the front door to meet her son.

"Henry, we need to talk."

"Am I in trouble? Did something happen?" His eyebrows came together in confusion, trying to remember if he had done something wrong that day. Tripping Hansel hadn't seemed like a bad idea at the time, but maybe his father had complained to one of his mothers.

Regina drew Henry into the house, stopping in front of the kitchen doorway. "No, nothing's wrong. Well not fatally wrong. Emma… Had a bit of an accident today during our magic lessons and she will be staying here until we can fix things."

Henry's confusion didn't lessen but before he could ask the blonde woman herself came ambling into the room, stopping when she saw Henry. Regina watched carefully, prepared to intercept, but when Emma came over the stand beside her son, turning him this way and that to check to injuries, the brunette relaxed.

"Uh, Mom? What is she doing?" Henry tried to shoo off Emma's hand, and was growled at until he stopped and let her continue her check.

Regina sighed before using magic to gently move Emma back a few feet, holding her feet in place until the blonde got the message and meekly stayed in place. "Your mother switched her mind with that of a caveman of some sort. I'm not exactly sure how, so it will take some time for me to figure out the reversal spell. Until then, we will just have to deal with her the best we can. Ok?"

Henry nodded, a smirk building on his face. Had Emma been able to speak, she would have pointed out that her son looked disturbingly like his other mother.

"This could be fun."

**Alrighty, hope you guys enjoyed this first part! Let me know if you have any situations you want me to put in here! Please leave a review so I know you guys are enjoying this. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy crap you guys! The response has been more than I imagined! Thanks! I've gotten several prompts and as long as you guys continue to give me ideas, this story will continue. As soon as we reach the end of ideas, I will bring this story to a close like originally planned. Basic structure of this story will be a couple prompts per chapter with bits of actual plot in between. Updates should come fairly quickly as its summertime, but I go back to work next week so my free time will take a hit.**

**Not to be completely annoying, but I do have some other OUAT stories and one-shots - that are very different than this! - and would love if you guys would give them a try and leave a review to let me know what you think. Anyways, enjoy! I do not own OUAT.**

That evening went… somewhat smoothly. Although Regina had to immobilize Emma when she began to cook dinner because Emma kept trying to put out the stove, Regina had the genius idea of making homemade chicken fingers. She suspected that Emma had no idea how to use utensils and after the blonde made a mess of the side salad - ending up with a face covered in dressing that Regina was forced to clean off like she used to do for Henry - she was proven right.

The chicken fingers were a big hit and Regina probably would have eaten more if Emma had not taken "Dig in" as a literal statement. When she was finished, tiny bits of chicken covered the table and floor and her manners left even Henry looking at her in slight disgust.

The rest of the evening was dedicated to creating a game plan with Henry. "I suppose the best thing to do would be for me to simply work from home. That way I can keep Ms. Swan from accidentally killing herself, and you won't have to miss school."

Henry's lower lip jutted out. "Or I could stay home to take care of her! You always complain that your office falls apart without you there to control things. And I wouldn't miss that much in school!"

Regina raised an eyebrow, silently impressed with her son's negotiation skills. But his puppy dog face hadn't worked on her since he was five. "And what will you do if she loses control and tries to attack someone? You do not have the strength, nor the magical ability needed to subdue her. And I think restoring Ms. Swan to her previous capabilities as Sheriff as quickly as possible is more important than anything that may happen in Town Hall."

After Henry grudgingly admitted defeat, mother and son entertained themselves watching Emma try to figure out how the TV functioned. She seemed fascinated by the sounds coming from the flat object, and Regina had to yank her backwards when the blonde went to hit it with her fist. After Emma showed no signs of stopping after the first five yanks, Regina simply shrugged and used magic to levitate her over to the plush chair in the corner, listening with a small smirk to the shrieks and grunts of annoyance coming from the woman. They were much easier to ignore than the blonde's incessant chatter.

Bedtime presented another set of challenges. Although Henry went down easily - with Emma breaking a picture frame while exploring his room - when Regina went to go to bed herself, she found Emma standing in her room instead of the guest bedroom she had been pushed into.

Regina sighed and reached up a hand to rub her temple. "Ms. Swan, I am very tired. Please go back to your room."

"Ugh." Emma reached for Regina's hand, intent on yanking the other woman towards the bed. But Regina had already learned that trick and took a step backwards, lifting her hand to point towards the door.

"Out. Now." Her tone allowed no room for argument, but Emma simply tilted her head in confusion and tried to grab for the brunette again, a whine coming from deep in her throat.

"Out!" This time, the message seemed to penetrate through whatever mind Emma now had and the women practically ran out of the room, eyes wide in confused terror. However she only reached the doorway before she turned and tried to reach for Regina.

Sighing heavily once more, she decided to give up - if Emma wanted to sleep in the hallway, so be it. Waving a hand, the door closed and she had to force herself to ignore Emma's pitiful whine and confused face.

She let herself fall heavily onto her bed, and was asleep within minutes.

-SQ-

_*Ding-Dong*_

Regina hurried to the door, Emma right behind her as always. A low warning growl already rumbled in the blonde's throat and Regina hoped that Snow had not returned already. The morning had been peaceful, but there were already two broken vases and she did not want to add a broken lamp to that list.

Blocking the other woman, she yanked open the door, smiling in relief when she saw Robin Hood. "Good, you're here." Turning her head over her shoulder, she shouted "Henry! Robin's here."

Though the two of them had tried a relationship, when all of the drama had finally ended they discovered they were better off as friends than lovers and had mutually decided to break up less than a week ago. But Henry enjoyed having someone to learn so called 'manly skills' from now that Neal was gone, and Regina had a weakness for Roland's dimples - though she often had to fight Granny for him. So they remained friends and allies.

Robin chuckled at the relief evident on Regina's face. "Tough morning?" Looking behind her, he nodded. "Sheriff, good to see you. Are you two going over town business?" He took a few steps forward until he was under the door arch, wiping his feet on the mat.

Emma continued glaring at the man, a silent growl vibrating her frame. Regina hurried to answer, wanting to keep the blonde's condition a secret from the town for as long as possible. "Yes, we had an early morning to go over some budget issues. It's been rather stressful and I would rather not have Henry in the house at the moment. Thank you for offering to take him out for the day."

He nodded, leaning comfortably on the door. "Not a problem, Milady." One side of his mouth pulled into a grin, the title now a long running joke between the two.

Regina laughed at him, rolling her eyes. About to respond, her words caught in her throat as a vicious growl ripped its way out of Emma.

The blonde had been watching the interaction between her brunette and the man. She hadn't enjoyed how comfortable he was in her presence, obviously not perceiving her as a threat. And then he had the audacity to ignore her in favor of making _her _woman smile for the first time all morning.

Emma had had enough and allowed the frustration she was feeling to bubble up into a roar. When the man finally looked at her in confusion, she took two steps forward, pushing Regina behind her. Hearing shrill sounds come from behind, Emma incorrectly assumed that the other woman was frightened and sought to rectify that.

Reaching forward, she grabbed onto the man with both hands, bringing his face within inches of hers and glared into his eyes while giving him one final warning growl. She released him and stepped back, feeling proud of herself for putting that scared look in his eyes.

"Regina, what…"

This time he didn't even finish his sentence. Enraged that he would dare continue to interact with Regina, Emma barreled forward, shoving her shoulder into his chest and sending him flying backwards onto the front walkway, landing on his back with a loud "Oomph!".

Before he could move to get up, Emma turned around, slammed the door and quickly dragged a nearby chair in front of it. That finished, she puffed out her chest in pride and finally looked towards Regina.

The older woman's first instinct was to be angry. Emma had yanked her about, was rude to Robin, and continued to destroy her perfectly crafted home. But one look at Emma's stupidly proud face and she found that she couldn't hold onto her anger. This entire situation was absurd and if she allowed herself to get angry at every incident, the blonde would not survive without being set on fire at least once.

So she allowed herself a small chuckle and smiled at Emma, biting her cheek to keep it under control as she watched Emma strut her way around the living room, noises of satisfaction coming constantly.

Henry arrived soon after, looking around with wide eyes in confusion. "I thought Robin was here? Did he have to go?"

**And that's a wrap! Hope you guys enjoyed it. I actually started to do research into the social structure of early humans, but quickly realized that we don't actually know that much for sure. So I'm winging it. If any of you guys have at any point studied the social structure of early humans, feel free to lend me your knowledge. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed the small peak into Emma's mind and don't worry! The fireballs will make a return in the next chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think and if there are any situations you would like to see! **


	3. Chapter 3

**This is not my favorite chapter - it went through several rewrites before I was moderately happy with it, but I like the bits of plot development going on. I do really enjoy writing Emma as a bit dopey!**

**Again, thank you so much for the support - the amount of follows this has is fantastic! I keep forgetting to say this but I have a Tumblr account if you guys care to follow - Sammy431. I occasionally whine about writing various stories. Anyways - Enjoy!**

"Auk! Let me up, let me up! Uncle, mercy, whatever! You win!"

"Grungh."

Regina reached up and grabbed the bridge of her nose. She had been going through nearly every magic book she owned for four hours looking for something to help fix Emma. She had yet to find anything that was in any way helpful to her situation and was getting increasingly annoyed with the loud shrieks coming from the backyard, as much as she enjoyed hearing Henry's happiness.

Since Robin had fallen through, she had encouraged Henry to get Emma outside and try to run all the energy out of her. The pair had quickly begun wrestling - much to Henry's glee - and the few times Regina had looked out her back window, it was extremely evident that her diminished mind had no impact on Emma's physical capabilities as Henry was always underneath the blonde, usually screaming for mercy through his giggles.

While Henry might be playing, it was also very clear that Emma was taking it much more seriously. She took the time to reposition Henry's hands and tried to communicate instructions through a series of grunts and whines. And when she inevitably won, she was careful not to grab or hold to tightly, holding Henry down long enough to prove her victory before letting him up. Despite her reluctance, Regina found it oddly adorable that the woman was trying to teach her son how to protect himself even when her mental state was somewhat incapacitated.

But however sweet she found it, it was obvious that she would get no more work finished that afternoon, so she busied herself with clearing her desk of magical items before going upstairs to take a shower.

When she returned downstairs, she found Henry in his usual place in front of the TV, his upper body weaving back and forth as he played some racing game. Regina looked around, but the living room lacked the trail of destruction that usually announced the presence of the blonde. "Where is Emma? And get your feet off the table - just because your mother is currently a caveman doesn't give you permission to act like one."

Not even looking up, his feet fell to the floor and his head jerked towards the backdoor. "I got tired, but she wouldn't come inside. She was just sitting right outside the door when I left her."

Regina left him to his game and glanced through the kitchen windows. She didn't see the other woman and for a moment panic built in her stomach. But common sense soon took over - Emma hadn't activated any of the detection spells that surrounded her property so she was still in the backyard and there was nothing poisonous that she could eat. Mentally shrugging, Regina decided to ignore it. Emma would return when she was ready.

-SQ-

Several hours had passed, both Henry and Regina had eaten dinner, and Emma still had not returned.

Henry was sitting at the table doing homework, with his hair still wet from a shower. Regina stood at the sink washing dishes. She was determined to ignore the worry buzzing in the back of her mind. It wasn't her fault if the moronic woman had done something stupid and was lying somewhere, unable to move, crying out in confusion and pain…

She huffed at herself for indulging in useless fantasies. Emma would be fine.

Shuffling sounds came from the back patio just as Regina finished drying the dishes and unconscious sighs of relief came from both mother and son. Regina kept her back turned, determined to act as if she didn't care what happened to Emma. A cry of alarm from Henry made her whip around, a fireball coming instinctively to her hand - which was immediately extinguished in her shock.

Emma stood in the middle of her kitchen, proudly holding out a fistful of crushed berries. Apparently she was more gatherer than hunter. She was covered nearly head to toe in dirt, her hair slicked back and stiff from dried mud. Bits of soil now covered the kitchen floor, clear footprints from Emma's bare feet leading from the back door.

Henry looked between his two mothers, taking note of the red color of Regina's face and quickly ran from the room. He had enough faith in his mother to know that she would not permanently hurt Emma, but he still didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

Emma stood clueless as Regina's rage bubbled up. Juice from the berries was now dripping down her arm and onto the floor. Regina's eye twitched as she realized that she would be the one cleaning this mess up - Emma could no more use a mop than she could use a fork.

"Ms. Swan. What the hell are you doing?" Emma deflated quickly at the rumbling growl of Regina's voice, finally noticing that the other woman did not share her enthusiasm for the berries. She began to take a step backward and Regina quickly threw up her hands to freeze her in place. "If you think, even for a second, that I am going to allow you to traipse around my house covered in that filth then your brain surpassed caveman and went straight to primate."

She blew out a harsh breath and took a quick inventory of Emma's body. The mud had mostly dried and her hair would not be cleaned by a quick wash. Emma no longer knew how to use a shower which meant that Regina would be forced to wash her.

If she made a habit of using profanity, now would be the perfect time for it.

Sending the blonde upstairs with a wave of her hand, she followed much slower. Snow should be the one to take care of her daughter, but for some reason, Emma refused to be obedient for anyone but Regina. Bringing Snow over would do nothing but excite the blonde, and then Regina would have more to clean up.

The Charmings would already be getting a bill for her services. No need to add any high end lamps to it.

Bracing herself, she opened the bathroom door to find Emma standing in the shower, struggling against invisible restraints. Her cries grew louder when she saw Regina and she struggled to reach for her. Regina waved a hand and Emma found herself unbound and standing in a blue one-piece bathing suit, still covered in dirt. Looking between herself and Emma, Regina sighed again and waved a hand to change herself into a bathing suit as well.

She bent down to turn on the shower and had to grapple Emma back down when she spooked as water began to rush into the tub. After a brief fight, Emma was left shivering on the floor of the tub, staring forlornly up at Regina, who standing just behind her, splashed with water and not in the mood her anything other than compliance.

After waiting a moment for the water to heat up a bit - something told her that if she gave the blonde hypothermia it would come back to bite her in the ass - Regina grabbed the bottle of shampoo and somewhat gently grabbed Emma's hair and pulled her head back. "Keep it there."

Not waiting for a response, she quickly began to massage the shampoo into her hair, grimacing as dirt got under her nails. Emma struggled for a moment before relaxing in the warm water, leaning back on Regina's legs and smiling up with that dopey smile of hers. The brunette stiffened, but managed not to purposely get shampoo in the other woman's eyes, if only to save herself the fight.

She also purposely ignored the small flutterings in her stomach. For all the times that she and Sheriff Swan got in each other's faces, it was never this close. Emma trusting her enough to lean against her was almost comforting. Even if she was covered in dirt while doing it.

After successfully ignoring everything except cleaning Emma - which took nearly an hour - Regina gave her a final rinse and made to get out of the tub when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled.

Thankfully her panic induced fireball was doused by the shower, stopping it from doing damage. Before she could get her bearings, she felt hands running through her hair.

She realized two things simultaneously. First, she was sitting in Emma's lap and having her hair clumsily washed by the woman, who was making high pitched, happy sounding whining noises. And secondly, she was _very_ aware that both of them were only wearing very thin bathing suits.

Completely unaware of the brunette's panic, Emma was nearly vibrating from contentment. She was comfortably tired after prowling in the woods all afternoon, warm from the seemingly endless water coming from the hole in the wall and her mate had just bathed her in something sweet smelling. It was only fair that she return the favor. So she grabbed some of the smelly stuff that had been used before and dumped a whole bunch of it onto the head in front of her.

Unfortunately for all involved, Regina had just opened her mouth to say something and got a mouthful - and eyeful - of soap. Coughing violently and unable to see, she shot up and frantically rubbed at her eyes, stumbling against the tile wall. Eyes stinging and watering, she still managed to direct a fierce glare towards Emma.

Alarmed at the brunette's bright red eyes, Emma darted forward, misjudging the slipperiness of the tub floor. "Augh!" Falling, she threw out her arms in an attempt to catch herself. Grabbing onto a solid mass, she managed to right herself before she fell onto her face.

"Ms. Swan." Regina's voice was low and dangerous. "Get your hands off me."

A low whine came from Emma, who saw nothing wrong with their current placement. A growly "Now!" reinforced the order and the blonde reluctantly removed her hands from where they had fallen - her mate's chest.

Regina pushed Emma backwards and managed to look regal and terrifying as she stepped from the bathtub, dripping water and eyes still red and squinty. Magically hurling a towel at Emma, she delighted in the slight "Oomph" before wrapping a towel around herself and stalking from the room.

Henry opened his door as his mother passed, looking disheveled and leaving a trail of water behind her, and glanced around for Emma. "Is she -", he began, but a wordless growl cut him off.

Flinging open her bedroom door, Regina flopped down onto the bed and covered her face with her hands and let out a low breath. For the first time, she was beyond grateful that the blonde did not possess her full mental capabilities at the moment.

The damn bathing suit had done nothing to hide her body's reaction to Emma's hands.

**These are getting longer and longer. This was supposed to have 2 prompts, but bath time sort of ran longer than I expected. Whatever, life is stressful and writing is a wonderful escape. Especially if it is as entertaining as this story to write. **

**So now we know that Regina is attracted to Emma and next chapter, which is already started, is really freaking adorable between the two of them. As always, if you guys have any prompts for me just let me know. **

**Reminder that I have other Swan Queen stories that I would love if you guys were to check out. Also, not to beg and be annoying, but this has over 80 follows and I only got like 10 reviews last chapter. Reviews are very addictive to writers, and I would appreciate if you helped to feed that addiction. If you wouldn't mind - let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was hell to write because I had to rewrite it so many times, and rework things because I've decided that this is going have actual plot and the scene I thought I was building to is actually the beginning of the next chapter, and I had to write Regina in a situation that I'm not used to writing her in, and I apologize if there are mistakes, but I wanted to get this out now rather than wait another day. *long breath* But its finally finished!**

**Second reason it's late is because I played Outlast: Whistleblower about 2 nights ago and had to restart my brain because of how freaking terrifying it was and how badly it screwed me up. Literally ended one section - The Groom/Gluskin - nearly in tears and ready to curl up under my bed and hide. I have **_**never **_**been that terrified/horrified while playing a video game. Have any of you guys played it? **

**As always, I don't own OUAT. If you want to see me whining about writing this story/life/school, I am on Tumblr as Sammy431.**

Regina went through her morning routine in a zombie like state, not noticing Emma's worried hovering and Henry's concerned glances. She had barely slept last night, her mind to busy replaying the events of bath time. She had come no closer to any conclusions regarding the moron taking up residence in her house, and now had unattractive black circles under her eyes.

She truly had no idea what was going on with her. With Emma incapable of purposely annoying her - instead the other woman seemed inclined to care for her as if she was something precious - Regina had been given the chance to notice something.

The blonde woman was actually quite attractive when not busy screaming in her face or defying her every wish, and Regina's body had decided to react accordingly.

It wasn't that they were both women. Regina was actually surprised that none of her former handmaids had sought her out after the curse broke. But what her mind could not comprehend was that it was Emma.

She had hated the woman, she had tried to put her under a sleeping curse, had been desperate for her to leave town. Even when they were allies, they argued constantly. How on earth could she be attracted to her?

_*Ding-Dong*_

_"Do I never get a break?"_ Regina thought as she watched Emma's head shoot up, a snarl already forming in her throat. Sighing, Regina decided to shelve the events of last night to panic about later. Exhaustion was already clouding her mind and she had a feeling that whoever was at the door would not be welcome by Emma - which meant that she would be responsible for preventing any assault charges from being issued.

-SQ-

"Snow. Of course you would visit without giving me proper warning." Despite her scornful tone, Regina waved Snow in with one hand, the other one busy holding onto Emma's upper arm, who had recognized Snow and was struggling to get to her, her snarls reduced to angry huffs. "I'm assuming that you've invited yourself for lunch?"

"Well, I mean…"

"Don't bother. But if you end up covered in some sort of liquid, it's not my fault."

Regina decided to make an extremely quick meal of tacos, mostly because she had to stop Emma from grabbing a large plate three times in the space of five minutes since Snow was incapable of listening to simple directions. She kept approaching Emma - therefore approaching Regina - and Emma warned her off several times.

"Snow, are you familiar with the definition of insanity?"

"Wha-"

"It's doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You've been warned by your pauciloquent daughter multiple times, yet you continue to use the same approach." Regina didn't even bother to turn around as she reached behind her, grabbed Emma's wrist and dragged her rage filled form back to the counter top. "Go call your grandson - lunch is ready."

Snow walked off, grumbling insults under her breath. The brunette turned towards a much calmer Emma and idly remarked "Your mother is acting more childish than you are. How she and her insipid prince were ever triumphant will always confound me."

Lunch went about as well as could be expected. Regina got to watch Snow's face contort in disgust as her precious daughter's face and shirt became covered in salsa, ground beef and cheese as she mutilated her taco's.

"Snow, clean off your daughters face."

Regina enjoyed the panicked look the woman threw her as she walked out of the room, holding in a laugh. Waiting a few moments, she couldn't contain a wide grin as Emma's snarls and Snow's pleading grew louder. Waving a hand, she brought the blonde to her side in a plume of smoke and efficiently cleaned her off, studiously ignoring the ever present dopey grin. Pushing her back towards the dining room, she called out "Henry, come take your mother outside before it starts to rain so I can clean up."

After gathering the plates and silverware, she began to load the dishwasher in silence. She heard Snow's footsteps come closer and waited patiently for the brunette to speak her mind. She was sure that Snow had some criticism for how she handled her daughter. Might as well let her get it off her chest now, while Emma was occupied.

"You're good with her."

_Well that was unexpected._ Regina very slowly finished the dishes and turned to face Snow, her mayoral mask firmly in place. After standing in silence for a few moments, Regina simply raised an eyebrow.

Snow swallowed thickly, her eyes looking at everything that wasn't Regina. "Well I mean…" She began, then paused, the silence excruciatingly awkward. She began to fidget with the edge of her shirt, twisting it between two fingers. "You have more patience with her than I would. I'm still struggling with Neal most days - caring for people comes naturally to you."

"You do fine with Neal."

The awkward silence continued again as the two women struggled to figure out their relationship. The time for revenge and hatred had passed and an understanding had been reached, but things were never comfortable. There was too much pain in the past for things to be easy so quickly.

"She's very protective over you." Regina startled, nearly dropping the glass of cider in her hand when Snow spoke.

She nodded. "Yes - She constantly hovers whenever I move. Did Robin mention what happened yesterday?" Snow shook her head, and Regina smirked. "He came over to get Henry and Emma sent him flying. Landed on his back out on the front walkway. Then your daughter continued her destruction of my house by using the arm chair to blockade the doorway."

Snow furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Regina quizzically. "What did Robin do to anger Emma?"

Shrugging, Regina handed Snow a glass of cider, realizing that the woman intended to stay awhile. "Not sure. He was just speaking to me and I don't think Emma did well with being ignored. She warned him - grabbed him by his jacket and nearly dragged him off his feet to growl at him. He tried to speak to me again and Emma tackled him out the door." She shrugged again, wanting to move on. "He was unharmed for the most part and I didn't want Emma to flip out if I brought him inside again."

Snow was about to reply when the back door flew open and Emma rushed in. Crossing the kitchen, she quickly shuffled Regina into a corner. She went through her usual routine, checking Regina for injuries and trying to communicate something. "Yrrrrghhhh?" She kept looking over her shoulder at Snow and trying to stuff Regina even further into the corner.

Fighting off a blush at the thought of being seen like this, she forced herself to lock eyes with Snow and roll her eyes, gesturing towards Emma. "This is what I deal with." She managed to shove of Emma's hands and step out from the corner, grabbing Emma's wrist to bring her to heel. Snow looked slightly scandalized and Regina was torn between smirking and teleporting her way out of this situation.

A few seconds later Henry ran into the room, skidding to a stop and panting. "Sorry! I turned my back to grab a soccer ball and she disappeared." Taking a few deep breaths, he moved forward to grab Emma's hand and began dragging her out of the room. "Resume your adult conversation. I'll try to keep her busy for a little while longer."

As he went back out the door, Snow smirked and shook her head. "He gets more like you every day. Next thing we know, he'll be running for Mayor."

Regina smiled softly and nodded. "He's a good boy."

"She's protective of him as well." Regina opened her mouth to comment, but Snow pushed on. "But it's another level with you… I was watching as you made dinner. Emma is very physically aware of you. She was very careful to keep herself between the two of us at all times. It's fascinating to watch. She responds as if you were a magnet - adjusting accordingly each time you move." She paused and Regina found herself holding her breath in anticipation for her next words. "I'm glad it's just a side effect of the spell. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Emma was in love with you."

Snow returned to her drink, blissfully unaware of the panic that had just begun beside her. Regina stared down at her glass of cider, using all of her skills to keep her emotions off of her face.

Was that possible? Emma had done nothing to indicate that she had feelings for Regina of any kind. Sure, she had begun to spend more time with Regina, but the brunette had just assumed that Emma was sick of living at home with two lovesick idiots and their crying baby, and used magic lessons as a convenient excuse to avoid them. But now, Emma was reduced to basic instincts. She obviously recognized Henry as her son. And her first instinct seemed to be to protect Regina.

But if Snow was correct - and that was a very big _if _- then where did that leave them? If this wasn't just an effect of the curse, but a manifestation of Emma's true feelings, Regina wasn't sure if she could handle it.

Did she share Emma's feelings?

She couldn't tell anymore. Everything was jumbled in her head and her newly discovered physical attraction to Emma was only adding to her confusion.

Regina had been quiet for several minutes by now, but before Snow could ask her about it, Emma returned to the kitchen. This time, she was dripping water on the floor as it had begun to rain outside. Pausing at the doorway, she took a quick inventory of the situation. She almost immediately sensed Regina's panic and went into protective mode.

Quickly making a choice between getting rid of the danger and comforting her mate, she lunged forward and grabbed the short screeching woman by the arm and dragged her tiny form towards the front door. Yanking it open, she shoved the woman out, slightly disappointed when she didn't fall on her ass like the first man had. But her job was only half finished, so she slammed the door shut and ran back into the kitchen to comfort Regina.

Quickly grabbing Regina in a koala bear like hug, she didn't notice Regina's pale face and shaking hands. The brunette continued her silent panic, only vaguely aware that Snow was now gone.

Henry entered the kitchen, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. He looked around in confusion, taking in Regina wrapped in Emma's arms and the absence of their guest. "What happened? Where did Grandma go?"

**Alright so now we are getting a bit more insight into Regina's mindset regarding Emma. Of course, nothing will happen anytime soon, since it is Regina. Snow will probably make a few more appearance - Reminder for prompts! - and maybe David as well. Next chapter is already started and hopefully it will go a lot smoother!**

**This chapter did not want to be written and I would really really love some reviews to make me feel better ;) Please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaand its finally here! Sorry for the wait, real life and some fandom fuckery had me distracted. This chapter has more of a focus on plot development than prompts, but your regularly scheduled program will return in the next chapter. Once again, the response to this has been incredible and I thank you all for it!**

**Somebody asked me when this was set, timeline wise. Given that Baby Neal exists (still really hate that name, I should change it to Daniel like I wanted), I've decided that it's placed after Season 3, but the finale never happened. **

**Enjoy!**

Emma didn't really understand what had happened. Regina hadn't been the happiest over the past few days, but she had allowed Emma to hold her after the screeching woman had left. But when Emma had later walked into the room with the moving pictures, the brunette's mood had instantly turned sour. She had tried to grab her hand and had to dodge a flying book. Even their son, who was distracted by the glowing picture screen, had noticed.

Regina had retreated to her study soon afterwards and Emma had been left to her own devices. Henry refused to go outside with her, shouting something over the booms coming from the sky. He went back to playing with a short white stick in front of the flashing light screen and Emma wandered around downstairs. She had already been shouted at several times for touching things, so she wisely kept her hands to herself - fireballs had a tendency to appear when she didn't.

But soon that became boring. Checking one last time to see if Henry would follow her outside - he wouldn't - she headed towards the room where her mate often spent evenings hunched over stacks of paper. She hesitated before opening the door, but soon stood up straighter and puffed out her chest. It was her job to care for her mate, even when she was a bit scared of her.

Opening the door quickly to give Regina no time to react, Emma paused at the doorway, now unsure. Regina was surrounded by books that shimmered faintly in the dimly lit room. "I should have guessed you would find your way up here. You never could take a hint Ms. Swan." While Emma wasn't completely sure what Regina was saying, the exhausted tone of her voice worried her.

Hurrying forward, she tried to pick up the woman and had her hands slapped away. Letting out a high pitched whine, Emma desperately grabbed at Regina's hand and examined the dark circles underneath her brown eyes. Her skin didn't feel clammy, so Emma didn't think she was ill. Leaning forward, she cupped the brunette's cheek so she could examine her face easier.

Regina really should not have let Emma touch her given the slippery slope that bath time had turned into, but she blamed it on the lack of sleep. She barely reacted as Emma drew her face in closer, the blonde letting go of her wrist and gently smoothing out the stress lines on the brunette's face with her other hand, running her thumb across Regina's bottom lip.

Later, Regina would blame Snow for putting ideas in her head, as she didn't protest when Emma drew her in even closer. Faces inches away from each other, Emma's eyes flickered down to Regina's lips, then back up to her eyes, repeating the gesture multiple times. Leaning forward a bit, the blonde waited for the reprimand that usually followed any attempt at contact.

Not hearing one, she slowly leaned in, keeping her eyes on Regina's to ensure that she was okay with it. She paused once more, close enough to inhale Regina's soft puffs of breath, before continuing with her eyes slowly falling shut.

_*Ding-Dong*_

"F-…" Regina swallowed her frustration in a growl, unsure if she was mad at the interruption or herself for needing it in the first place. She watched Emma's head jerk up and her lip curl. Sighing, the brunette decided to shelve the events of the last five minutes to panic about later.

- SQ -

"David. Of course… Well don't just stand there, come in before my house floods." Regina ushered in the man, grimacing as a small puddle formed in front of her door - more clean up. "What brings you to my home? I assume Snow told you what happened earlier. Come to accuse me of corrupting your daughter?"

The prince raised an eyebrow and just looked at Regina for a moment. The comment had lacked her usual fire and she appeared paler and less regal than normal. "Regina, are you sick? You look... tired?"

Regina raised an eyebrow right back. "Emma cannot speak, clean, or feed herself, and rarely listens to directions given to her. I've been stuck dealing with her all day, _and _I'm trying to figure out exactly what spell she used so I can get her out of my home. It hasn't exactly been a vacation."

David cleared his throat. "Right. Thanks for that. You know, caring for Emma." He eyed his daughter, whose face was hovering over Regina's shoulder, glaring at him in a very clear warning. He wondered if this had been a good idea, but he was used to seeing his daughter on a daily basis. It had been very strange to arrive at work that morning and not see his barely awake daughter guarding the coffee machine.

Regina had also been observing Emma, and what she noticed really didn't shock her. The blonde was far calmer in the presence of her father than she had been when Snow had visited earlier. Not only had the man been calmer during their initial meet, but Emma had a much smoother relationship with David than she did with Snow, bonding over video games and police work.

The man in question took a few steps forward, watching for a negative reaction from Emma. She just continued glaring and snuck an arm around Regina's middle, holding onto her. He looked between the arm and the Queen, taking note of the uncomfortable look in her eyes. He very wisely kept his comments to himself, although his large smirk irked Regina. Dipping into a bow, David gestured grandly to his right and mockingly asked "Shall we, your Majesty?"

"Watch it Prince. You're not nearly as charming as your nickname suggests."

Nearly an hour later, David sat in the living room playing video games with his grandson and watching as his daughter attempted to metaphorically charm the pants off the grumpy Queen. Standing guard as she worked through her books, and occasionally darting off - after growling at David - to get the brunette a snack or drink.

Much of the charm was unfortunately lost, as the drink was lukewarm water cupped in Emma's hand and the snack a handful of crushed strawberries that leaked red juice over some spell books.

David's silent laughter drew the attention of Regina, who glared at him. "I don't know why you're laughing. You're paying for the damage."

He laughed out loud this time, completely unfazed by her anger. Abandoning the game to Henry, he went over to the table and looked at the variety of books. He couldn't understand most of the symbols in them. The notebook that sat in front of Regina was mostly blank. "Any luck?"

Letting out an aggravated sigh to let her annoyance with his presence known, she pushed the book that was open in front of her to the side and grabbed another one. "There is plenty of information in these books about physical transformation, including the manipulation of minds. However, because I am not currently completely sure what type of spell Emma used, I can't find the appropriate reversal spell. I'm not even sure if it was a spell or a curse."

"Is it possible to curse yourself?"

"She's your daughter."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if there was one person who could possibly curse herself accidently, it would be your hasty and usually uncoordinated daughter. Honestly I'm slightly surprised she hasn't blown herself up yet with how undisciplined she is with her magic."

David opened his mouth to defend his daughter, but shut it with a click as they watched Emma attempt to eat a fake plant, spitting out the plastic and scraping wildly at her tongue.

Swallowing his words in a cough, David awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, well… I thought that's why she's been spending time with you. To learn control."

Regina didn't like his tone - as if magic lessons were the only reason Emma would want to spend time with her. "Given the number of times Emma ended lessons within minutes of her surprise arrivals, I assumed that she had simply grown tired of listening to a screaming infant and was seeking peace away from the worshipful townsfolk."

Regina said all of this very absentmindedly, her attention captured by a passage about accidental spell casting. She lowered her head to focus, hoping this would be the end to her problems, but quickly realized that the reversal spell required the original spell caster to speak the incantation - not possible. Pushing the book to the side in disappointment, she looked up when she realized that David hadn't responded.

Taking in the strange look on his face, she snapped "What?"

David grabbed a nearby chair and sat down in front of her, leaning forward. "What do you mean by 'worshipful'?"

The brunette scoffed in disgust, and refocused her eyes on the books in front of her. "The peasants treat Emma like some sort of deity. It makes her uncomfortable."

His eyebrows furrowed. "She's never mentioned this. When did she tell you?"

Shrugging, Regina replied "She didn't have to. Whenever we eat at Granny's for our weekly dinner with Henry, she's obviously very uncomfortable with everyone's stares. The other week one of the braver ones paid for her meal - I thought she was going to magically sink into the floor."

David paused a moment in thought. "Well, she is a member of the royal family. It makes sense that people stare or try to give her gifts. It's not going to stop anytime soon, even if we remain in Storybrooke for the rest of our lives."

Regina rolled her eyes at his misinterpretation of the problem and her scorn was evident in her reply. "It's not because she's a _princess. _It's because she's the Savior. They don't treat her like a human being and she's afraid of disappointing them."

"And how do you know this?"

"Well I… I mean I just-" Regina struggled to stutter out an answer and David's smirk grew. Regina wasn't quite sure what to say - the signs of the blondes discomfort were subtle but very evident. "I-it's probably just because Emma and Henry share several mannerisms. I've raised him for 12 years, it's not a huge shock that I could pick up similar signs of distress on Emma." That sounded logical, right?

David's smirk turned mischievous and he leaned forward. "I don't think that's why." Regina swallowed harshly and tried to control her reaction, her eyes finally flicking upwards to meet his. "I think you know all of this because you -"

He was cut off as Emma decided that she was bored with the current conversation and came over to them, wrapping her arms around Regina and squeezing her tightly with a high pitched whine.

David almost fell off the chair laughing at the image that was presented to him. The former Evil Queen was stuck with her arms trapped at her sides by Emma's arms, the blonde leaning over the back of her chair and nuzzling their cheeks together. The look on Regina's face was utterly flabbergasted, not prepared for the assault and momentarily stunned speechless.

That quickly passed and she gritted her teeth, rumbling out "Miss Swan, I feel like I've been repeating myself for the past two days. Get off of me." At Emma's pitiful whine, she responded "I don't care. Release me. Now!"

Grumbling vague sounds under her breathe, the blonde released her and plopped down next to the chair, leaning her head on Regina's thigh. The blonde raised a hand and clumsily patted the leg next to her head and huffed out a breath, which probably meant something along the lines of "It's okay that you're grumpy. I don't mind."

Avoiding his eyes, Regina growled out in David's direction "I think our talk is over. Its nearly suppertime and I need to cook… Thanks for stopping by!" She added sarcastically.

Sides still hurting from laughing so hard, David stood and nodded towards the two women, stopping to ruffle Henry's hair on the way out. Though he and the Queen had grown closer over the past year, they could only stand to be in each other's presence for so long before one of them needed their space. So he took no offence to the abrupt dismissal.

However, this time Regina's voice stopped him before he made it to the door. "What did you mean earlier?"

He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"When you said that there was a different reason for why I knew what Emma was feeling. What was it?" Regina's hands unconsciously curled into fists as she awaited his response, tugging on the blonde hair currently strew across her lap.

A soft smile came onto David's face and his voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he spoke to the damaged woman in front of him. "I just think you know Emma so well because, despite your extreme reluctance, you actually like Emma. The two of you have become friends, and I don't think you want to admit that."

Regina nodded, and forced herself to maintain a blank face as David walked out her front door, the slam echoing back through the hall.

She was oddly disappointed. She was hoping that by some miracle, the man would give her some answers that would soothe some of her confusion. Now she was left with more.

Were she and Emma friends? She wasn't sure. They spent a lot of time together, but most of that was related to either magic or Henry. She hadn't killed the blonde women yet, so she supposed some part of her wanted Emma around. That would also probably explain why she paid enough attention to Emma to notice her discomfort in the first place.

Did Emma consider her a friend? Did she want something more? Did she think Regina would _want _something more? Did Regina want Emma to think that she would want something more?

_Ugh_. Regina let her head fall forward and hit the table with a small 'thunk'. She felt Emma jump at the sound, and untangled her hands from the - distractingly silky - blonde hair.

Things had been so much simpler two days ago.

**Poor Regina has no idea what's going on anymore, and it's about to get worse in the next chapter. Her confusion won't go away for a little while, mainly due to the fact that Emma can't actually speak in full sentences. Communication is key, and that's not possible right now. **

**I've been rereading A Series of Unfortunate Events because I am a mature adult, and there was an itty bitty reference to Lemony Snicket's writing style in here. See if you can pick up on it.**

**Alright, reminder that I welcome any and all prompts, my Tumblr is sammy431 if you wish to follow, and pretty please with sugar on top - Leave me a Review to tell me what you think! **


	6. Chapter 6

**This is essentially the fluffiest thing I have ever written, and it's still kind of angsty in the beginning because I can't do straight sugary fluff, but still. Slight cavity warning - but I think you'll enjoy it.**

**Also, remember this is set after Zelena is defeated, but the finale never happened (I've pretty much erased it from my memory at this point).**

_Regina spun around, straining her eyes to see into the darkness. Shrieks and screams sounded all around her, but there was nothing that she could see. Heart pounding, she chose a random direction and started walking. _

_Almost immediately, she felt as if she was being followed. Glancing behind her, she saw nothing but the swirling blackness. Unable to shake the feeling, she began to go faster, panting heavily in terror as she struggled to find her way. _

_"Uh!" She cried out as she tripped and fell to the ground, pain shooting up her knees. As she made contact, the blackness was suddenly driven away by an ugly green light, forcing her to close her eyes from the sudden brightness. Blinking away tears, she looked up and gasped. _

_Her mother stood in front of her looking regal and imposing, wearing her favorite red dress and a disappointed look on her face. "Just look at you. Such a useless daughter." _

_Regina felt her throat constrict, but before she could respond, someone else stepped out from behind Cora, wearing a dark green gown. _

_Zelena. _

_Regina's mind raced, confused and unable to speak. The two women in front of her were dead, they had no power over her. Yet she found herself paralyzed. _

_Bringing a hand up to cup Zelena's cheek, Cora spoke once more. "You've met my firstborn, haven't you dear? So much more potential than you ever showed." _

_"I did my best mother." Regina growled out. _

_Cora scoffed. "Your best? Regina, your best was cursing an entire world to a small town, demoting yourself from a Queen to a simple Mayor. The Savior broke the curse within months of her arrival in town. Now you're playing house with her? If this is your best, god forbid I ever see your worst." She turned to smile softly at Zelena. "Your sister has such immense ambition, she took what she wanted all on her own. Very impressive." _

_The redhead laughed softly and mockingly covered her cheeks. "Stop mother, you'll make me blush. Now," Zelena sneered down at Regina, "what are we going to do with her?" _

_"You'll get what you always wanted my dear. Her heart." _

_Regina gasped and tried to get up - to fight back - but with a wave of her hand, Cora had her held in place. Zelena walked forward and bent down slowly, bring her face within inches of Regina's. Moving suddenly, her hand shot forward and into Regina's chest, grasping her heart. _

_Regina sat frozen with wide eyes, powerless to do anything. Zelena watched as her younger sister choked in pain, preparing to yank her hand back. She paused for a moment before tilting her head even closer._

_"Never bring your heart to a witch fight." _

Regina jerked awake, one hand flying up to cover her mouth and the other settling over her beating heart, ensuring that it was still there. Her throat felt strained, as if she had been screaming. Panting rapidly, she tried to calm herself down before she passed out. It had been awhile since she had had a nightmare of this magnitude.

A noise outside her door made her freeze, the fear left over from her nightmare slowly building up again. Her mind was screaming at her to do something, defend herself. The door slowly crept open and a dark shape shuffled into her room.

Emma had been sleeping in the guest room right next door when she was awoken by a scream that had quickly been cut off. Still half asleep, she jumped out of bed and stood in the hallway for a moment before a whimper in the room next to hers pushed her into action. Creeping quietly into the room, she immediately noticed her pale and shaking mate alone on the bed, a terrified look on her face.

Emma let out a small shriek and rushed forward, picking up the brunette and sitting on the bed with her in her lap. Cuddling her close, she started running her hands through the short hair and humming quietly. She could feel little tremors working their way through her mates body and hugged the brunette closer, hoping to make her feel safe. Her eyes flicked around the room, searching for any signs of danger.

Regina was still shaken from her dream and unable to produce any protests. She didn't want to coddled or pitied, and struggled to make her body obey - but it seemed perfectly at home in Emma Swan's lap. Annoyingly, she could feel her heart rate slowing as if Emma commanded it. As the rushing in her ears dissipated, she became aware of a peculiar sound.

"Shhhh… shhh, kay." Emma had obviously learned a new trick. It sounded as if she was trying to say 'you're okay' with her limited vocabulary. Regina shifted so she could look up at Emma's face, taking in the lightly glowing green eyes that were peering around the room. Emma noticed her gaze and focused on her face, removing the hand that was combing through Regina's hair to cup her cheek.

"Kay?" Emma's voice was quiet and soothing, and the humming hadn't dissipated, coming from the blondes chest and radiating throughout Regina's body, coaxing her breathing to calm down.

Feeling completely out of her element, Regina reached out a hand and awkwardly patted Emma on the shoulder. "I'm fine, thank you." Watching as the blonde's face lit up with happiness at the praise, she felt even more confused.

This wasn't her usual reaction to a nightmare - usually her panic escalated to a full blown panic attack and nothing - breathing exercises, medication, alcohol - could stop it from coming.

She tried to find the will to conjure a fireball, thinking that she should probably get Emma away from her. That was how she was supposed to react. But frankly, she was tired and still feeling very weak.

And it was very warm in Emma's arms.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been held like something precious. So while the little voice in the back of her mind - the one that sounded suspiciously like her mother - was bemoaning her weakness, Regina decided to enjoy it while it lasted. She unconsciously curled closer into Emma's warmth as the chill of the room broke through her adrenaline haze.

Emma took note of the closer contact and began to rock back and forth, thinking the brunette was still frightened. The humming increased in frequency, sounding almost like a purr. The blonde couldn't help feeling some pride as she felt her mate's body relax into her. Obviously whatever demons had been bothering the brunette had been chased away.

The pair sat in silence for awhile, Regina floating somewhere in between awake and asleep, shutting off her mind for a few quiet moments. She was suddenly thrown from her warm haven when Emma abruptly jumped up, depositing her back on the bed and stepping away. Regina looked up at her, a pit forming in her stomach. What had she done?

She only relaxed when Emma stayed in the room, walking around and looking behind and under everything. Leaning back on the headboard, she watched as Emma hunted for a non-existent monster.

The blonde was extremely thorough, going so far as to open the balcony doors and check the shadows for a mystery assailant. She wondered if the monster had escaped while she had comforted her mate and momentarily regretted it. She quickly shook the feeling off, knowing that nothing was more important than her mate feeling safe and cared for.

Regina finally calmed down fully, and her eyes began to droop. She needed to send Emma back to her room, and reluctantly climbed out of her warm bed. Grabbing onto Emma's wrist, she tried to drag the other woman out of the room. However, instead of following her lead like usual, Emma gently extracted her hand and herded Regina back to her bed.

Continuing to gently press Regina onto the bed, Emma resumed making her usual series of grunts and growls, have exhausted her linguistic repertoire earlier. After ensuring that the brunette was covered up and tucked in, Emma returned to the doorway and simply stood there, apparently prepared to keep watch for the night.

Regina remained on her bed, staring at the dark shape that Emma made. Though her earlier confusion remained, she felt oddly… safe with the blonde watching over her. No one had ever cared enough to do that before, not even her own father.

The realization made her scowl, and guilt crept at the edges of her conscious thought. If she wasn't so damn weak, Emma wouldn't have to stand guard. She wasn't sure what to do about that - She didn't think that Emma would leave if she asked, and if she was truthful, Regina wanted her to stay.

She wasn't sure about a lot of things right now. She wasn't sure if the feelings she was coming to realize were just wishful thinking on her part, prompted by Snow's earlier observations, or if they were legitimate. They _felt _real, but she had never truly noticed them until Snow had mentioned it. Now they were all she could think about.

She also wasn't sure if Emma even returned her feelings or if they had manifested from the curse. It was true, Emma had spent a lot of time around her lately, but never indicated that she considered Regina to be anymore than a friend or co-parent.

Letting out a huff, she flipped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She never once considered it would be Emma Swan that would reawaken her old wishes, but there they were, front and center. The desire to be held, to be cared for. To love and be loved. The possibilities were spinning within her mind, unable to be verbalized.

Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind of her worries. There was no use in thinking about this until Emma was cured. She may be concerned about nothing - Emma may wake up and she would realize that the feelings were a result of the situation at hand.

Quite a while later, Regina finally fell asleep mid thought, utterly exhausted after the stress of the last two days.

-SQ-

Screwing her eyes shut, Regina tried in vain to stave off the flutterings of consciousness. She was warm and cozy, and felt truly rested for the first time in a while. There was a comforting weight at her back and she instinctively burrowed into its warmth.

_Wait a minute… _Regina froze in place, heart beginning to race. Her mind was still dulled with sleep, but she knew that she went to bed alone. She slowly opened her eyes, turning her head to look behind her.

Emma's head was directly behind her on the pillow, her body curled around the brunette's like a cat. The blonde had crawled into bed just as the first rays of dawn began to appear. Nearly fainting with exhaustion after her self-imposed guard duty, she _had _briefly wondered if this was a bad idea, before promptly passing out on top of the covers. Throughout the night, she had subconsciously moved closer to Regina, seeking warmth and comfort.

Regina watched for a few minutes, listening to the blonde's soft snores - more of a snuffling sound really. She was trying desperately to stir up some of her old anger towards Emma, and failing miserably. She should probably push the blonde out of her bed, perhaps throw some fireballs to achieve the desired effect. This was not okay.

But Emma looked very tired.

Regina let her head flop back down onto her pillow and blew out a heavy sigh. How could this have happened over just a few days? Was she so far in denial that she couldn't even recognize her own feelings anymore? Had she fallen so far into the darkness that she no longer knew her own heart?

Just a few days ago, had she found Emma in her bed, the blonde would have been roasted where she lay. Now, Regina found herself creeping quietly from the bed, doing her best not to jostle her. _"If she wakes up, then I will have to deal with her. Best to let her sleep," _Regina tried to reason with herself - but she still felt guilty that she was the reason the normally hyperactive woman was so exhausted.

Slipping on a robe, she turned at the doorway and looked back at Emma one last time. Shaking her head at herself, she began to walk downstairs to prepare breakfast.

_"Gods, I need a drink." _

**This was finished earlier, but between laptop issues, a vacation with very little access to the internet, and general life stress, I had to wait to post it. Sorry about that!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed it, its shorter than previous chapters have been, we are going to be making some more progress with prompts next chapter. Reminder to give me prompt ideas if you have them, even if they are small. Also, reminder that I occasionally post things on my Tumblr at sammy431. **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Reviews make me want to write more, especially when I get to have such lovely conversations with some of you. **


	7. Authors Note and Teaser

Okay, do not review this chapter, as it will be removed and replaced with the actual chapter when it is finished. I just wanted to give you lovely people an update.

I'm in college! First several week of college have been crazy. I'm an accelerated double major in Psychology and Gender Studies, in the Honors Program, and also have an inability to say no, so I'm in 4 clubs and am currently working with the local high schools to create a mental health lesson that I am going to teach to their health classes. Because I'm an idiotic freshmen who doesn't realize that she needs to sleep or eat. *side-eyeing past self*

And if you follow me on Tumblr, you may know that I struggle with my own mental health. The huge change of moving 8 hours away to go to college, meeting new people, and learning how to manage my time has made it difficult to contain my anxiety. Panic attacks are a bitch.

But despite all of that, I am loving it right now! I've met some amazing people - whom I am forcing to watch OUAT. Although I feel slightly guilty about that… But everyone is super nice and accepting and it's so nice to not have to deal with my family for once.

BUT! I have not and will not abandon Ooga Booga. Inspiration has been lacking, but the story is outlined and the next chapter is more than half written. I am slowly finishing it whenever I have free time, I promise. It will be finished, hopefully next chapter by this weekend as I have a slowish week for once.

If you have questions or comments, PM me on here or message me on my Tumblr which is sammy431.

**Also, have a small teaser because you guys are amazing: **

"Ms. Swan, this is highly inappropriate! Get off of m-" The smell of smoke cut off her words, black smoke rising as Rumpelstiltskin appeared in front of them.

Raising an eyebrow at their position, in his typical drawl he asked "Am I interrupting something?"

Regina shoved Emma's arms off of her, a blush rising on her cheeks. "What do you want Rumple? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Rumpelstiltskin let out a throaty chuckle. "Really Regina, are you that surprised? Our great Savior, incapacitated by her own spell, the townspeople working themselves into a tizzy over your involvement, and you clearly have no idea how to fix this."

"I don't need your help."

He waggled a finger at her. "If you don't need my help, then Ms. Swan would already be fixed and out the door. Face it dearie - you were never concerned with the breaking of curses. You have no idea what you are even looking for. All these fancy books, and still you are no closer to the answer."


End file.
